Reboot the heyday

Chapter 3504 A Terrible Character
"Why?"

Quan Meng'er was alone in the small practice room assigned to her by XB Entertainment. The room was empty, with only the mirror reflecting her face, which was contorted with anger and grievance.

On the phone screen, there was a comeback teaser photo just released by AOA's official account. The members were all smiling brightly against a glamorous background, but she was the only one missing.

"Why?!" she screamed, slamming her phone against the wall, the screen shattering instantly. A profound sense of powerlessness and the fury of betrayal nearly consumed her.

Quan Meng'er had been sidelined for some time, which she thought was a test from Wang Taika. In reality, from the very beginning when she met Wang Taika until today, she could sense that he had been taking care of her in some way.

Although it's only a tiny bit, it's definitely there.

At first, I thought this guy was interested in me, but later I found out that wasn't the case.

In other words, Wang Taika treated him more like a stray cat, showing kindness but always with a nonchalant attitude.

However, no one expected that the person they met by chance would eventually become who they are today.

But because of these past experiences, Quan Meng'er always felt that she should be different. At least within the AOA group, she should be different.

But now, she suddenly became fully awake.

Nothing's different. It's really like feeding stray cats—casual and indifferent. Even if you stop feeding them, there's no way you'd feel guilty.

But something just felt off.

"Perhaps he wasn't aware of it either. This was a company arrangement; I was actually being targeted by upper management."

Quan Meng'er has a very sensitive personality, and the current treatment she is receiving is pushing her to become increasingly extreme. Thus, a crazy plan quickly takes shape in her mind.

She was going to find Wang Taika and demand an explanation in person. If he didn't give her an answer, she would fight to the death.

Quan Meng'er recorded a video in which she detailed the various grievances she suffered in the group, including but not limited to being ostracized by other members, unfair treatment from the company, and even some strongly implied unspoken rules.

Of course, most of these were either embellishments or figments of her imagination.

The sad thing is that Quan Meng'er genuinely sees herself as a victim. She doesn't even intentionally spread rumors; she truly believes she is the victim.

If the troll in the crown was truly evil, then Quan Meng'er was simply stupid.

A sensitive personality, though capable of enduring grievances, cannot dispel the resentment within. Sooner or later, it will fester into hatred.

In some ways, she's similar to Wang Taika in personality—both are meticulous and hold grudges. There's no double standard here; judging solely by their personalities, neither Wang Taika nor Quan Meng'er are good people.

Quan Meng'er recorded the video just to have a backup plan, in case it comes in handy sometime.

The next day, Quan Meng'er dressed up meticulously, wearing clothes that best accentuated her figure and applying exquisite makeup, attempting to use her last remaining charm as a weapon. She then headed straight for Wang Taika's top-floor office.

Wang Taika has been working in the office these past few days because of company matters. Although Quan Meng'er also works here, it's very difficult for her to see Wang Taika.

So this time, Quan Meng'er timed it perfectly and went directly to Wang Taika's office.

There was a secretary at Wang Taika's door, who naturally recognized her and knew her recent situation, so she gave a formal response: "Mr. Wang is very busy right now and cannot see you without an appointment."

“I have something very important to discuss, I need to see him immediately.” Quan Meng’er raised her voice, trying to get the attention of the person inside. The office was well soundproofed, but Wang Taika had just finished a call and vaguely heard the commotion outside. He frowned and pressed the intercom: “What’s going on outside?”

The secretary quickly replied, "Mr. Wang, it's Kwon Min-ah. She insists on seeing you, saying she has something important to discuss."

Wang Taika wasn't surprised to learn that Quan Meng'er had come looking for him. It was obvious why she was here at this time.

"Let her in," Wang Taika said calmly.

After receiving permission, Quan Meng'er took a deep breath and pushed open the door. She tried to appear calm, but her slightly trembling fingers betrayed her inner nervousness.

Wang Taika sat behind his large desk, looking at her calmly with a composed expression: "I knew you would come looking for me."

Quan Meng'er felt a little uneasy under Wang Taika's gaze, but she still forced herself to speak: "I want to know, why am I not on AOA's comeback list? I've given so much to the group, why are you abandoning me so easily?"

Wang Taika raised an eyebrow, his tone relaxed: "Oh, that? The company, considering overall development, feels the current lineup is more suitable. Do you have any questions?"

"Overall development?" Quan Meng'er became agitated: "They used me and then kicked me aside, that's not fair."

"Fairness?" Wang Taika laughed, as if he had heard something funny. "Fairness in the entertainment industry? Quan Meng'er, aren't you being too naive? Does the company need to explain to you whether its decisions are fair or not? Besides, these aren't my responsibilities, so why are you coming to me directly?"

Wang Taika's contemptuous and arrogant attitude completely enraged Quan Meng'er. But to her despair, Quan Meng'er found that she was utterly helpless against Wang Taika, and didn't even dare to lose her temper.

Quan Meng'er knew Wang Taika quite well. She remembered the impression he left on her when they first met: a fried chicken-loving madman.

However, Quan Meng'er is no longer qualified to use that nickname.

"Why are you doing this to me? At the very least, we were the first people to meet, weren't we?" Quan Meng'er was truly at her wit's end.

Only then did Wang Taika reveal a gentle expression, his previous coldness gone, and he said, "It seems you haven't forgotten that we've known each other for a long time. Yes, we met almost as soon as I arrived in Korea. I still vaguely remember how pitiful you looked when we first met."

Kwon Moe-ah didn't know what Wang Tai-ka was up to, but it was obvious that direct negotiation wouldn't work, so she started to soften her tone: "I've always felt that our personal relationship is better than that of the other members of AOA. Why has it turned out like this? It's not because of Choa unnie, is it? It feels like your relationship is even better now."

"Naive," Wang Taika scoffed, "But if you're going to negotiate with me, I really don't have much to say. Now that you're bringing up old ties, I can talk to you. Actually, the reason is very simple: I know your personality all too well."

Quan Meng'er asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that everyone has their own personality flaws, some big, some small. Unfortunately, we both belong to the type of people with pretty big flaws," Wang Taika said. "There were even moments when I felt that your personality was actually quite similar to mine."

Quan Meng'er laughed, finding it all absurd.

To prove his point, Wang Taika said, "You don't believe me? Then let me put myself in your shoes. If I were you in this situation, completely powerless, what would I do? Well, according to my personality, I would definitely retaliate!"

"The problem is, how do I get revenge? After all, putting myself in their shoes, one person can't go against the whole company. So, given my personality, I might as well flip the table. If I can't get anything out of this, then let's all just go down together and nobody can play anymore."

"So, if we're going to flip the table, there's only one way: public opinion." Wang Taika stared at Quan Meng'er: "So, let me guess, did you plan to prepare, or have already prepared, a video, or a very long accusation document, full of accusations against the group and the company, and release it if things fall apart with me?"

Quan Meng'er was stunned. This was indeed her thought process and her reflections. All of this was her own private action, and no one else knew about it. How did Wang Taika know?
Seeing Quan Meng'er's expression, Wang Taika already knew the answer. He sighed inwardly.

Now I finally realize how terrible my personality is.

(End of this chapter)